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We often complain we have too few national champions. Yet when the public pressure is on, it’s startling to see how many firms find themselves taking up Britannia’s shield.

First came the protectionist paroxysms over De La Rue losing the battle to produce Britain’s post-Brexit passports, merely because its bid was tens of millions of pounds higher than a European rival’s.

Then we were immediately plunged into the furore over Melrose’s takeover of GKN. It turned out that this little-known conglomerate, with a history of mediocre management and a share price that had flatlined for at least five years, was in fact a red, white and blue engineering giant, and a tireless contributor to our national...